1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices and methods for dispensing chemicals into a tank holding liquid. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device and a method for dispensing chemicals, such as sanitizing chemicals, into swimming pool water.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In the prior art, there are devices for dispensing chemicals into liquid. One such device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,448 has a base member and housing connected into a fluid flow line of a circulating system. Liquid flows from an inlet conduit, into the base member, into the housing, through a filter and a chemical dispensing means, and back out through the base member to an outlet conduit. The chemical dispenser has an upper conduit member, an apertured midsection and a chemical containing lower cartridge. As liquid flows through the chemical dispenser, the chemical dissolves into the liquid.
Another prior art device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,795 is a container having a closed bottom, a lid with a dispensing opening, and a plate with colored markings that is larger than the dispensing opening and freely moveable vertically resting on the bottom of the container. The plate has a specific gravity less than 1.0. In operation, the container is filled with solid sanitizing chemical and placed in a skimmer basket associated with a pool. As the sanitizing chemical dissolves into the liquid, the plate rises toward the top of the container.
Such prior art devices have disadvantages. For example, they have many parts, some of which are not standard hardware, which makes the prior art devices expensive to manufacture. Some of those parts are designed to move during operation, and as movable parts, they may become stuck, break, or deteriorate thereby reducing the effectiveness of the device. In addition, such prior art devices dispense a stream of liquid having a high concentration of chemical, which can be corrosive to the circulating system.